And finally, it's May. The European club season, which unofficially began with the first round of Champions League qualification in late June of 2023, will unofficially end in about a month with the Champions League final. Even with a lot of major title races already decided (or close to it), the month of May is a legitimate roller coaster: We have the semis and finals of UEFA's three continental tournaments, major cup finals, fights over Champions League spots for next season, desperate promotion and relegation plot twists, minor league title chases and the glory that is final-matchday whip-around coverage. And then we'll all take approximately 24 hours off before Euro 2024 and Copa América begin. What a glorious day of an offseason it will be.
The rubber has met the road. The competition that began with Montenegro's Buducnost Podgorica beating Andorra's Atletic Club d'Escaldes 3-0 on June 27 began its semifinal round Tuesday with Leg 1 of Real Madrid, 14-time champions, versus Bayern Munich, six-time winners. PSG-BVB kicked off at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday.
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